Daylight Savings Time: Then vs. Now

There are many things they don’t tell you when you’re pregnant. One of those things is how daylight savings time will come to negatively impact your life. I’m talking about how daylight savings time manages to screw up the ever coveted sleep schedules. And it’s not just one night, no! It’s just the gift that keeps on giving night, after night, after night, until you just one day notice that things seem to have gone back to “normal”. Or, worse case, created a new “normal”!

Here is a brief look at our lives prior to having a child vs after. And I am sure this gets worse with the more kids you have. I feel for you, deeply, I do, but there’s a reason we only have one.

Fall Back

The week before:

Then:

“Work has just been killer since the summer. Can’t wait to get that extra hour of sleep on the weekend.”

Now:

“Oh living hell! Its daylight savings time, what should we do?! Should we move his bed time back by 10 minutes every night before the weekend? Should we move it forward? I don’t know how this all works. I don’t understand. My brain has lost the ability to think logically. What day is it?!”

The night before (Saturday):

Then:

“Let’s stay out and have another drink. It doesn’t matter because we have an extra hour of sleep anyway! And even though we’re busy tomorrow, we don’t have to feel guilty about it.”

Now:

“We didn’t do anything we planned to. We were too scared of the consequences in the meantime. We just figured one awful night would be fine. Let’s keep him up an extra half hour and it should be okay.”

7:00 pm that night (normal bedtime):

Me: What happened? Why is he screaming now?

My husband: I took his socks off.

7:30 pm (half an hour after bedtime):

My husband: Why is he still screaming?

Me: I am trying to brush his teeth.

8:00 pm (an hour after his bedtime):

Me: We should go sleep now too because he’s going to be up before the crack of dawn.

10:30 pm regretting my choice not to listening to my 8 pm self.

The next day (Sunday):

Then:

“Let’s go for brunch and grab some groceries.”

Now:

The day after (Monday):

Then:

“Man, that extra hour of sleep was so refreshing.”

Now:

(Now for the truth of what actually happened: the kid was wired and sensitive all day. Crying and whining at the drop of a hat. He refused to nap even though he couldn’t even see straight anymore. Which resulted in more “injuries” and more crying and whining. I’m sitting here waiting to hear from the daycare any minute now that that we’re no longer welcome back.)

I haven’t talked about “Spring Ahead” but that may be another special hell that we’ll discuss in the future.

All joking aside, can we please all collectively agree as a continent to get rid of it?! As a rational, reasonable, informed adult, I understand there are so many complications that arise from such a simple act as not setting our clocks back (or forward). But for the health and safety of many families, please! Just find a way!

If you have any hints tips or suggestions, please please please share in the comments below. Sharing is caring after all!